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The
Wildland-Urban Interface Introduction:
Population deconcentration in the U.S. has resulted in rapid development
in the outlying fringe of metropolitan areas and in rural areas with attractive
recreational and aesthetic amenities, especially forests. This demographic
change is increasing the size of the wildland-urban interface (WUI), defined
as the area where structures and other human development meet or intermingle
with undeveloped wildland. The expansion of the WUI in recent decades
has significant implications for wildfire management and impact. The WUI
creates an environment in which fire can move readily between structural
and vegetation fuels. Its expansion has increased the likelihood that
wildfires will threaten structures and people.
The definition we used to map the WUI originated in the Federal Register
(66:751, 2001) report on WUI communities at risk from fire (USDA & USDI,
2001), and Tie and Weatherford’s 2000 report to the Western Governor’s
Association on WUI fire risk.
WUI definitions:
Wildland-Urban Interface definitions
WUI maps, statistics, and data:
WUI
map, statistics, and GIS data library
WUI map,
statistics, and GIS data FTP server
WUI Internet Map Server
WUI projects:
The 2000 Wildland-Urban Interface in the U.S.
The Wildland-Urban Interface is where houses meet or intermingle with
wildland vegetation. The WUI is where wildfire pose the biggest risk to
human lives and structures. It is also an area of widespread habitat fragmentation,
introduction of invasive species and biodiversity loss. Our project provides
a detail, national assessment of the WUI across the conterminous United
States.
1990-2000 Wildland-Urban Interface
change in the U.S. West Coast
Strong housing growth in the WUI in recent decades may be one factor for
increasing wildfire costs, and raises concern for conservation. The goal
of this project was to analyze patterns of housing development and WUI
change during the 1990s in Washington, Oregon and California.
Mapping
Housing Density across the North Central United States, 1940-2000
Housing growth is rampant both at the urban fringe and in amenity rich
rural areas. The goal of this project was to obtain fine-resolution historic
housing density data to better estimate patterns of sprawl and potential
environmental effects.
WUI Contact information:
Acknowledgements:
We gratefully acknowledge financial support for this research by the
Northern Research Station, the Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and
Analysis Program, and the Northern Global Change Program of the USDA
Forest Service under the National Fire Plan.
References:
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Stewart, S.I., B. Wilmer, R.B. Hammer, G.H. Aplet, T.J. Hawbaker, C. Miller, and V.C. Radeloff. In review. Wildland-Urban Interface maps vary with purpose and context. Journal of Forestry |
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Stewart, S.I., B. Wilmer, R.B. Hammer, G.H. Aplet, T.J. Hawbaker, C. Miller, V.C. Radeloff In press. Wildland-Urban Interface maps vary with purpose and context. Journal of Forestry |
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Hammer, R.B., S.I. Stewart, and V.C. Radeloff. In press Demographic trends, the Wildland Urban Interface, and wildfire management. Society and Natural Resources |
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Stewart, S.I., V.C. Radeloff, R.B. Hammer, and T.J. Hawbaker. 2007. Defining the Wildland Urban Interface. Journal of Forestry 105:201-207. PDF (contains color, 1.1 Mb) |
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Hammer, R.B., V.C. Radeloff, J.S. Fried, and S.I. Stewart. 2007. Wildland-Urban Interface housing growth during the 1990s in California, Oregon, and Washington. International Journal of Wildland Fire 16: 255-265. PDF (contains color, 0.4 Mb) |
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Radeloff, V.C., R.B. Hammer, S.I Stewart, J.S. Fried, S.S. Holcomb, and J.F. McKeefry. 2005. The Wildland Urban Interface in the United States. Ecological Applications 15: 799-805. PDF (contains color, 0.3 Mb) |
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Haight, R.G., D.T. Cleland, R.B. Hammer, V.C. Radeloff and T.S. Rupp. 2004. Assessing fire risk in the wildand urban interface – a landscape ecosystem approach. Journal of Forestry 102: 41-48. PDF (contains color, 0.3 Mb) |
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